Little Black Ducklings
by Onpu no Tegami
Summary: A little shadow of a girl is the new girl at Konoha High, one of the cruelest schools out there. Damn. But luckily she found her savior in Uchiha Itachi, a popular, gorgeous, heckcare guy who seems to have taking a liking to her. But who knows what will h
1. An Avoided Conrontation and Our Hero

Squeeeeeee New Story by meeeee! Yea I'll continue updating the other one. But I felt like doing one by myself. Alright... warning... extreme OOC-ness may be in order. And... this is a shounen-ai story as well as female/male story. So yea... all you homo-phobiacs... go find another story. Muhahahaha! Yea... Alright. I'm done. The story idea's been done before probably but... eh. I wanted to give it my twist. Anywho... not sure if I should tell you the pairings at the moment.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. God save the world if I did.**

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Summary: A little shadow of a girl is the new girl at Konoha High, one of the cruelest schools out there. Damn. But luckily she found her savior in Uchiha Itachi, a popular, gorgeous, heck-care guy who seems to have taking a liking to her. But who knows what will happen when secrets are revealed, bad grades given, and hormonal rampages occur! Ita/OC read to find the other pairings.

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A small, what-looked-like-shadow/ghost walked into the large building that was Konoha High. It gradually walked into the well-lit hallway, and down the halls to stop at one of the dark red lockers, putting in the combination. Ah, so it was a person! This said person took a blood-red binder out of the black messenger bag that was hanging at its side and put it into the locker, taking out a black one and putting that one in its bag. It put its damp, black, band sweatshirt in the locker to reveal a black and red, ¾ sleeve shirt, finger-less black gloves, and long, feminine fingers with black nail polish. Ah, so it was a girl! Said girl closed her locker, running her pale fingers through her long, black hair. She then turned to walk down the hallway, only to bump into a lean, male figure. "Watch where you're going you freak!" said the male figure. Her pale blue eyes never left the ground.

"Gomenasai…" she muttered quietly.

"Geez! What's your pro-" but he was then interrupted by another male voice, who was, surprisingly, quite cheerful at said moment.

"Hello Otouto." It appeared the first boy didn't quite like his older brother.

"What do you want!" younger brother said to his elder brother. The older boy shrugged.

"My locker's right behind you Sasuke," he explained simply, causing the younger boy, Sasuke, to move out of the way and drag the girl out of his brother's way as well before storming off. The elder boy sighed. "I wonder why he hates me so much…" As the boy started fiddling with his locker the girl had to look up at him, her pale eyes examining him. He was tall and slender, but apparently had muscle as well. He had long raven hair that was tied back in a ponytail and his ebony eyes were at present examining the lock on his locker. "Dammit… stupid thing always gets stuck…" But before he could attempt the combination again the girl walked over, gently moving him to the side and expertly hit it, causing the door to fly open.

The boy's eyes looked at his locker in shock and then looked back at the girl who was already starting to slink away. "Hey! You! Um… yea! You! Come here for a second!" The girl, who had turned around when he had said 'you', cautiously walked back, keeping her eyes timidly on the poorly tiled floor. "That was cool! Why were you walking off for? Class doesn't start for another 10 minutes. I'm Itachi by the way, Uchiha Itachi," he said, holding out his hand for her to shake. She timidly took it, shaking it once before removing her hand.

"Yuji Hikari," she said quietly, her eyes only briefly flicking up to catch his before looking down. His mouth opened to say something but before he could make a noise a loud voice came down the hallway.

"What do I see here! A little black cloud disturbing our happy high school?" said the loud voice, which belonged to a tall, muscular man with… very pointy teeth. She immediately decided she definitely didn't want to be on the receiving end of anything from him, whether it was a bite, punch, kick, or otherwise. However unfortunately her personal space was immediately violated as the guy grabbed her by her upper arm, hoisting her up painfully. "And what's this we have here? It's not a cloud but a gothic dyke!" His gang of followers behind him did gasps, booing sounds and disgusted noises. His cold, onyx eyes tried to lock with hers to intimidate her more, but suddenly he finally noticed the Uchiha boy as he spoke up sternly.

"Let her go." It was a simple request. Any dufus with half a brain would have immediately dropped the girl after seeing the cold, dangerous look in the Uchiha's eyes. Oh, but not _this_ dufus. He tightened his grip.

"What do you want with her Itachi?"

"Put her down… _now_."

"You got some sort of thing for this-"

"_Now_ Zabuza." His voice never rose, but only got lower and more dangerous. Finally the large boy, Zabuza, took the hint and dropped Hikari, slinking off regretful that his play thing was already taken. Itachi's face now softened so it was calm as he looked down at her gently. "You alright Hikari?" He helped her up quickly as she nodded. "Sorry about them… Zabuza thinks he runs the school…" His voice was calm and not at all cheerful as it had been before the interruption, but to her, somewhat comforting. "So… what grade are you in?"

"I'm a junior…" she responded quietly, her arm still aching from the abuse. A frown plagued his face for a moment before he gave her a small encouraging smile.

"Can I see your schedule?" She responded with a nod and handed the already-crumpled piece of paper. "Oh! You have AP Biology with me… and drama. I have a friend in Art… he's a really nice guy." It was obvious he was for some reason feeling very protective of her at the present moment… although he would never admit it. "Big guy with blue-ish skin and blue hair. Loves finger-painting for some odd reason..." She nodded, showing that she was listening, her fingers playing with the chains on her puffed-out pants. (The ones you buy in Hot Topic! ) Just then the five-minute bell rung. "Damn… okay, be careful. See you in Biology." And with the he walked off. The halls were already starting to fill up as she walked up one of the back staircases to the second floor, walking quietly to her first period class, her pants making it look like she was floating, adding to the ghost-effect. Once arriving at the pale green classroom she promptly sat in a back-corner seat but was, once again, plagued by having another human sit next to her. Only this time… she had no clue what gender it was. The guy's clothes and tone-of-voice indicated a boy… but the long hair, feminine face and sandals threw that idea out the window. Next conclusion? _BISHOUNEN!_ Oh yea. She was good.

"Hey I'm Haku," the… boy said cheerfully. She nodded her head in a some-what bow.

"Hikari," she responded quietly, her pale eyes remaining on her old, written-on desk.

"Let me guess… you're new?" Hikari responded with a timid nod, which encouraged the boy into a fit of giggles. "Yay! I get to show you around then! Oh! And do you mind me playing with your hair? It's so kawaii!" A small blush graced her cheeks, but upon deciding that he was gay, she nodded, allowing the boy to move his desk so it was adjoining hers and start playing with her hair. By the time the sickly male teacher walked in Hikari was sporting two mini-pigtails with only a few strands of hair in the ties, and the rest being down. The teacher walked to his weathered, old desk and plopped down his bag on it, turning around to write his name on the board. "I'm-" he paused to have a coughing fit "Gekkou-sensei. And I will be your teacher for Honors-" Coughing again. "English. Now… I'll call you each up in alphabetically order and you're to say your name-" Yet another coughing fit. "and something about yourself. Alright… Akamichi Chouji… you're up." He sat down to have another horrible coughing fit as the chubby boy went up. A few minutes later Hikari had learned that in the class there was also Hyuuga Neji, who had been skipped ahead a year as well as a Nara Shikamaru who had skipped two years with Chouji. A Sabaku no Kankuro was also there and a Iwa Deidara… who kept saying un. Suddenly it was her turn and she walked up, squirming under the glances of her classmates.

"I… I'm Yuji Hikari… a… and… um… I like art…?"

She quickly skittered back to her seat as Deidara exclaimed, "Art's a bang, un!" And suddenly the clay Deidara had been holding spontaneously exploded. "Un…!" The teacher looked over at the blond as the boy tried desperately to put out the small fire that had caught on his hair, walking over to help him after telling everyone it was a free period.

Haku was enthralled. "Yay! Now I get to play with your hair again!" he squealed happily, with a smile, immediately attacking her hair.

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Muhahahaha! Hope you liked it. R/R to tell me how I'm doing! 


	2. Art Class and A Clumbsy Fall

Yea... No new words of wisdom from me... I'm just really bored. And... sorry for the sloppy writing. I can write better I just... don't... feel like it.

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xpakux: Yea... sorry about her taste in style... but yea... that's my taste in style too. But the Mary Sue-ness will quickly blow over once you learn of her full personality and talents and history. Just gotta hang in there. But thanks for the constructive critism.  
altrnativrocklovr1797: The clay is a mystery... >> and thank you. But yes, sadly. Haku is undoubtedly gay. I'm very sorry to tell you.

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The next two periods went by uneventfully as it was Gym (Anko-sensei kind of balances out Gai-sensei…) and Honors Math 12… in which the only eventful thing that happened was Morino-sensei sent two girls down to the Guidance Office they were crying so much and nearly sent Hikari down the same path. Luckily, she was used to it. Fourth period was Art, and boy was that welcomed. Hikari walked into the bright room, the smell of paint in the air. She walked over and sat at an empty table. She was early. The only other person in the room was a small boy in the back sketching away in a sketchbook. She had just started sketching when a large guy walked over. He had almost blue-ish skin and dark blue hair. She was immediately intimidated but then remembered what Itachi had said about a person fitting this description, who she immediately guessed was this guy seeing as he quickly plopped down next to her and looked at her with a smile. "I'm Kisame," he stated. Such a simple statement but it gave her warm fuzzies inside that he had actually voluntarily walked over to her, sat next to her, and talked to her, without throwing up. "'Tach told me to look after ya. Hehe… though don't tell him I said that. He'll kill me." With that he let out a light hearted laugh. "Hikari right?" She nodded timidly, but this guy was starting to make her feel at ease. Although… not as much as Itachi did. Damn… what was so special about Itachi! 

"Yea…"

"Pretty name," he complimented with another laugh. "So… you're into art too eh? Itachi just likes drama cuz he can be over-dramatic. But I think art's fun too. No matter how bad you are." A small smile graced her lips. This guy was fun. Goofy… but fun. "Oooooo! I need to ask you before Itachi cuz then I can use this as leverage… you wanna go to a party Friday night? A friend of mine is throwing it since his parents are away."

"I um… I don't know… I don't really… do well in social situations…" says quietly.

"Don't worry. Me and 'Tach will be there to make sure no one picks on you or anything. It'll be fun!" he said with a gigantic grin. Hikari let out a sigh in defeat.

"Alright…" This caused the large boy to jump up happily, causing his chair to fall backwards in the moment.

"YES! I FINALLY GET TO DRAG ITACHI TO A PARTY!" he exclaimed happily, doing a little happy dance. (Oh yea… Kisame's chibi. He's _always_ gonna be like that. So… yea.) She had no clue how getting her to go was going to convince the elder Uchiha to go… but she guessed Kisame had some sort of plan. Then again… how well did she know Kisame? She watched the blue boy dance on the art table for a bit, the poor ancient table creaking under the weight. Luckily for the table though the Art teacher soon walked into the room and scolded him.

"Kisame Hoshigaki… I should have known…" the female teacher sighed with a laugh, shaking her head.

"Oh! Hello Yuuhi-sensei!" Kisame exclaimed happily with a large grin.

"You mind _not_ breaking the table? You know how the school doesn't like to pay for art supplies," Yuuhi-sensei said with a smile. The teenager quickly removed himself from the table and regained his seat next to Hikari. The teacher quickly turned her attention to the rest of the class. "Alright class. I'm Yuuhi Kurenai and you will call me Yuuhi-sensei. There's only two rules. 1) I'm not your mother so I won't clean up your mess. And 2) keep your hands to yourself. If that's understood… free period." And with that she sat down behind her paint-crusted desk, reading a book. Meanwhile everyone else was doing their own thing. Around half way through the period the boy named Deidara and a red-haired boy who was taller then him walked over to Hikari and her tall body-guard/friend.

"Hey, un!" Deidara chirped happily. "This is Sasori-danna. Sasori-danna meet Hikari-chan, un." The red haired boy, known as Sasori smiled and gave a small wave.

"Hey. You're the new girl right?" he asked, eying Kisame cautiously as Kisame looked at Sasori suspiciously. She responded with a quiet nod. "I see. Don't talk much do you?" She promptly shook her head. "Ahh… well, just call if you need any help." And with that he walked away with Deidara, who left with an 'un'.

Kisame huffed proudly as though he had done his job. She let out a small giggle. Okay… Kisame's good mood was contagious. It was hard to deny. He smiled proudly and let out another ground-shuddering laugh.

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After art was Biology which I find to be increasingly boring so I'll just sum it by saying that Itachi was eying her the entire period but never talking to her. So, after Biology, Itachi, Hikari, and her new-found-friend Tenten were walking down the halls to the cafeteria, talking about the party that Kisame had somehow convinced Itachi to go to before Biology when he had pulled the Uchiha out of the classroom and talked to him in the hallway. Tenten let out a laugh. "Oh come on! Do you honestly think that it's gonna be _that_ bad at the party! I mean come on! Zetsu's running it after all!" she exclaimed, trying to make Itachi excited about the party a mere two days away. He shook his head. 

"He's probably only throwing it so the crowd's will distract that Tobi kid from him long enough so he can ditch him," Itachi said in a calm voice, his ebony eyes looking right back at Tenten's chocolate ones. They were so intent on killing each other with stares, however, that they didn't notice when the quiet Hikari-chan tripped and fell down the stairs oh-so-ungracefully. However when she let out a muffled moan of pain they immediately turned to look down the full flight of stairs at the junior, who was at present sprawled painfully on her back.

"Owwwww…" she muttered, Tenten gently helping her up as she was the first to get to her. Itachi looked at her, extreme worry at first but it quickly flickered back to calm almost-apathy.

"Are you alright…" his voice was calm and level as ever. She nodded.

"Yea… fine…" she muttered, but this was soon contradicted as she clutched her right shoulder gingerly. "Owwwww…" She bit her lower lip in pain but tried to compose herself and act like it was nothing. Damn the bruise from earlier had probably weakened that arm. Itachi walked over, promptly pulling down the collar of her shirt and her bra strap so he could see her shoulder.

"At the very least you bruised your collar bone. At worst it's broken. It could also be dislocated. You should get it checked," he told her. His voice to most people sounded cold, but to her for some odd reason it was soothing. Didn't stop her from shaking her head stubbornly though. "You could make it worse…"

"I'm fine…" she muttered quietly, removing his warm fingertips from her shoulder reluctantly. She pulled her collar back up, wincing as the tight strap hit her shoulder. "Let's just go to lunch…" Tenten nodded quickly, not wanting to let the two start a fight, and started trotting down the hallway, the two raven-haired teenagers in tow, both looking at the ground.

'_Damn why's she so stubborn? That could be a really bad injury… oh damn why do I care! Ughhhh…'_ Itachi thought to himself.

'_Damn klutziness! I can't believe I fell down the stairs like that! I'm so clumsy!'_ she cursed herself as she gingerly messaged her injured shoulder. Meanwhile…

'_I wonder what I'm gonna have for lunch today? A wrap? Oooo! Or maybe a hamburger!'_ were Tenten's oblivious thoughts.

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You know you love Tenten! XD Alright. R/R 


	3. Lunch Time and A Look into His Mind

Alright, no yelling at me for the extremely long wait. I completely forgot about this story and my computer went boom just before my Sweet Sixteen in April, which was where the next 3 chapters were. So… yea. And then a bunch of personal stuff happened and yea… so… no yelling! Be glad I'm continuing it after that. nod I am, however going to shake it up a bit by doing different point of views instead of just third-person. Also, I've decided to make crack pairings! So… yes… BEWARE!

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Lindsay-chan: Ah, she was worried about Hikari. But in order to keep happy she had to think happy thoughts. And she had to be happy to avoid Hikari and Itachi going at each other's throats.

Yakitori: - I'll try.

Hardy 4ever: Sorry it took so long!

BlackSnowPetals: Thank you! I'm gonna try and update quicker now.

_**Everyone:**_ Now that I have been dumped and am single I will try to update AMAP:-)

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As Hikari walked into the over-crowded Cafeteria, she was assaulted by the over-whelming feeling of diversity. Every other table had a different crowd hanging around it; jocks, then cheerleaders, then geeks, then all the cheerleader-wannabe's, the stoners, the hippies, the gangsters. The threesome walked past all of those tables though, walking straight to a table that could only be described as the foreign-born students. A red haired, Japanese boy with too much eyeliner sat on one side of the table, glaring at the plate in front of him. Next to him sat a brown-haired, Japanese boy with kabuki on his face and a cat-eared hat on his head, and a blonde Japanese girl who was arguing with the kabuki boy. Next to the blonde sat a red-head, who was poking at what could only be described as a concoction, with an old beanie on her head and a flute case by her backpack. An overly-hyper, green-jumpsuit-wearing Chinese boy with a bowl-cut sat on the other side of eyeliner boy. On the opposite side of the table sat a tan, blonde boy wearing bright orange, and Sasuke. The three sat down on the side of the table and Tenten introduced everyone. "Hikari meet Lee, Gaara, Kankuro, Temari, Tayuya, Naruto, and Sasuke. Everyone meet Hikari." 

"Hi Hikari."

Hikari almost laughed at how much it sounded like an AA meeting, but she restrained herself. However, when Kisame bolted in, followed by a calm Sai and…… _it_, she couldn't help but giggle.

"And that's Kisame, Sai and Haku."

Hikari nodded, finally suppressing her giggles again. "I know Kisame and Sai-kun." The three sat down at the table, Haku and Sai sitting delicately next to Tayuya, and Kisame plopping on Hikari's other side.

_**Itachi**_

Today had just started out horribly. I woke up to Father beating the crap out of Sasuke again, and, of course, I didn't say a word. I never spoke up for him. I just laid still and pretended I was still sleeping, just like Mom always did. She wasn't a bad person. So I wasn't a bad person, right? No matter how many times I told myself that though I never believed it, and I always hated myself for it. I tried making it up to Sasuke; I took him anywhere he wanted if he needed a ride. I drove him to school everyday with me, but nothing I could do would take the pain out of Sasuke. So, nothing would get rid of the guilt I felt about it. Maybe, that's why I felt so protective of Hikari the moment I met her. In more than a few ways, she reminded me exactly of Sasuke. So, maybe, I felt like if I could protect her, it would be the same as if I could protect Sasuke; or, maybe, it was something else. Who could tell? But, no matter what, I knew for certain I was a nervous wreck all day, even when Kisame asked me if I would go to Zaku's party on Friday, and told me Hikari was going. I hadn't wanted to go, but I couldn't let Hikari go alone. There was going to be tons of booze, drugs, and sex, of course I couldn't trust Hikari to that.

I felt stupid. I was worrying so much about someone I hadn't even known for 6 hours, but I couldn't help it. She seemed so… quiet and innocent and… Sasuke-like. When she fell down the stairs, it nearly gave me a heart attack, and even after she repeatedly told me she was fine, I continued to worry about her as we sat down in the Cafeteria. I noticed every time she massaged her shoulder subconsciously; every time she turned too quickly and winced. Everyone at the table, of course, didn't, and Kisame continually tried to start conversations with me about the upcoming party, but I didn't want to hear it. I didn't want to know. I honestly didn't care, but I couldn't tell Kisame that. It would crush his obliviously happy mood. Suddenly I was brought out of my trance by her voice.

"Itachi-san, daijoubu desu ka?"

The thin lines above her eyes were knitted together in worry, and I now noticed a thin hand on my shoulder. I faked a smile, like I always do, and put my hand gently on hers in order to remove it. The moment my skin met hers, however, it was like I was in a trance again. I couldn't move. After another minute I regained myself, and removed her hand.

"Daijoubu, Hikari-chan."

Those at the table who weren't Japanese just looked confused, but I didn't care. Apparently, she preferred speaking in Japanese. It reminded me of my father, cold and traditional, but it made her comfortable. She was, quite obviously, originally from Japan, but that made me wonder about her eyes, pale as snow. They were hidden, however, as she closed them to nod. I would ask her about them when we were alone. Personal matters are not to be discussed in public, one of the first rules I learned as a child, and I'm sure she had taken to heart. When the bell rang I grabbed her wrist and pulled her back into the seat instinctively to prevent her getting trampled by the rush of students. I could sense her cheeks turning pink, but I wasn't about to let a little embarrassment to cause me to cause her death. Once the crowd had escaped, our table filed out of the cafeteria, me and Hikari in the back. I watched her continue to massage her shoulder and it made me feel nervous.

"Hikari-chan, you really should-"

She cut me off before I could continue the long speech I was about to start on why she should go to the nurse. I could tell she was nervous about my concern, the same way Sasuke got nervous when I wanted to see the bruise that he claimed was causing his limp. This just made me more uneasy. Why did everything today bother me?

"This is my class. Have a nice day everyone! I hope to see you all soon."

She bowed and entered the classroom without another word; without even a glance towards me, she was gone. I can't say I felt hurt, I still barely even knew her, but something in my stomach dropped. I cursed myself for thinking so much and caring so much for this near-stranger, vowing to try and relax as I walked to my next class.

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Thanks for all the patience guys! I hope to write a Super Chapter next time for you, but I'm too tired and dragging this one out over too many days so… there. Nighty night! R/R! 


	4. A Peek Inside Their Closets

I am skipping the next two periods in the storyline… why? Because they were uneventful and it's much more dynamic to start here… so there. :P

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Reverse Byakugen: Thank you for the advise and criticism! I really appreciate it! Yea, I know she's, in a way, smart to the extreme, but she's not good at very much else and she's not snobby about it so… yea. Anyway, I know I should develop the relationships more… but I do have a plan. Just gotta keep reading.

InvaderQ: Yay! One of my favorite old reviewers! I'm happy to see you noticed I started it up again! Sorry I paused it for a while, I got caught up in my own drama for a while, and couldn't write this fictional one. ;-) I'm glad you like the POV and I hope you enjoy this longer chapter.

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_**愛**__**-**__**Hikari-**__**愛**_

Thump thump.

Thump thump.

My heart pounded inside my ribs, as though ready to burst through them. My body ached from the 4-hour work-out, and my shoulder was in more agony then I ever thought possible. But I wouldn't tell Sensei that; then he would stop. I didn't want him to stop, couldn't let him stop. I _needed_ this. We circled each other, bokken at the ready. He stepped forward first, a swift up-side cut, and I ducked. We've been going at it for four hours; there was no way I was going to give in now. Perhaps I was, in fact, as the wooden sword then came down on my shoulder as I was dodging the first attack. I cried out in pain, my opposite hand immediately going up to it as though holding it could stop it. He instantly dropped his bokken and removed mine carefully before gently stabilizing it with his two hands.

"You're hurt again… aren't you?" My sensei knew me too well; he knew my past too well, and he knew what I was thinking so perfectly it was scary. He was his own lie detector, and unfortunately, I had quite a bit to lie about.

"Iie…"

"… What was the rampage about this time?"

"It wasn't him, I swear. It actually wasn't!" For once, I was telling the truth, and I was relieved to find he believed me. He sighed, guiding me to sit down in my place and sitting down next to me, the fingers of his right hand soon gently probing and massaging the joint. It wouldn't be the first time I had broken my collar bone, and it wouldn't be the last. Luckily, however, it was just dislocated. Igawa-sensei took my arm and shoulder into the correct position, pushing the joint back into place. I closed my eyes tightly, not making a sound except for an escape of breath; I had felt worse, this was nothing compared. The sight of familiar, cold, dark eyes flashed in my mind just before the pain subsided. "Domo arigatou, sensei."

"Who did this?" He gently let go of my arm after he had positioned it and got up, walking over to a door in the back. I heard him searching for a sling and getting ice from his freezer, putting it in a zip-lock bag and walking back into the room.

"A kid in the school held me up by my arm… and then I fell down the stairs. I think it was a combination of the two…"

He let out a deep sigh as he sat next to me, shaking his head as he put my arm in the sling, then handing me the ice. "You seem to be a target for bad men, aren't you?"

"You aren't a bad man, sensei."

"You answered that a little too quickly, Hikari-chan." He laughed good-heartedly at my discomfort, putting a hand on my knee as he became serious. "You know what I mean. Has he hurt you since we last met?" Sensei was like my grandfather. I had known him for all my life, and he just had this sort of grandfatherly look to him. I told him everything, and he gave me advice and took care of me; it hurt him when I was hurt, because there was nothing he could do to stop it.

My eyes looked to the side; I couldn't look him in the face. I may tell him everything, but I didn't enjoy it. We both knew the answer anyway. There were bruises along my sides, arms, and back; you couldn't see it while I was clothed, but he knew anyway. "He got dumped again…" He let out an irritated sigh.

"Anything serious?"

"No."

"You're staying here tonight," his voice was stern, and I knew it wasn't a question. I had stayed with him many times before, even keeping a separate set of clothing with him. His house wasn't large, just one bedroom, a bathroom, a small kitchen, a small den, and the training room, which took up a third of the house's area. The den was basically my room, the dresser inside had my clothes and the shiki futon always had a covering and kakebuton in my design. Whenever _he_ was in a bad mood, I stayed with my sensei. His house was secure, and if _he_ came around, sensei could defend us. Unfortunately, however, sensei had to call him to tell him I wouldn't be home. _He_ was my father.

After sensei called my father and explained that I would not be coming home tonight, he put away the bokken and moved my bag into the den. I followed him in and sat on the futon and he sat down next to me. "I wish I could help you instead of having you run."

"There is nothing you can do, Igawa-sensei; you know that." He knew I was right, and I knew he would give anything to make it not true. He had come all the way from Japan with us, even though he knew no one over here and didn't know any English, just to make sure I had somewhere to go. I felt honored, but I also felt guilty. I knew that, because of me, his life wouldn't be as nice as it could have been. He sighed, as though knowing my thoughts, and stood.

"Dinner will be ready in 20 minutes." I nodded and bowed my head.

_**陰**__**-**__**Itachi-**__**陰**_

Dinner was silent, as usual. Dad had had a good day, which meant hopefully Sasuke would too. The same thing happened every good night; Mom and I would eat silently as Dad occasionally snapped at Sasuke for slouching, or eating too much, or playing with his food, or chewing too loudly. After that, Sasuke would go upstairs as quickly as possible and lock himself in for the rest of the night, Mom and I would read in her room, and Dad would watch the news in the den. Unless, of course, Sasuke was in a bad mood, then a good day could turn into a bad day; I don't like thinking about bad days. Today happened just like it was supposed to, and I couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief when I heard Sasuke's door slam down the hall upstairs. Mom's quiet expression mimicked my own as we both sat down on her lavender bed. This was her own special room; of course, she usually slept with dad in the room they shared, but on the days where she couldn't stand him and needed her space, she slept in here. It was painted a pale yellow and was serene in many ways, despite the fact it had the traditional tatami floors like the rest of the house; I often wondered why she didn't sleep in that room every night.

We remained silent as she took our books out of the bedside table and handed me mine. We knew what the other was thinking, and we wouldn't dare speak it. Dad had never hit Mom, not once since they had gotten married, and he had never hit me. When I was younger, I thought maybe it was because I got good grades, and was the perfect student… but when Sasuke entered school he was just as good. Even in our martial arts, Sasuke was an even match for me. For some reason, Dad just didn't like Sasuke, and I knew that because of that, Sasuke hated me. As we sat and read quietly, Mom put her hand on my shoulder and squeezed it; we both wished we could stop Dad, but we both never had enough courage to. I put my hand on top of hers and squeezed it too. After a few hours I ended up falling asleep on the bed.

昼間

I woke up the next morning to Sasuke roughly shaking me. "Hey Oniisan! Wake up!" I heard him grunt angrily before he started shaking me harder. "ITACHI!" I reluctantly opened my eyes, sitting up.

"Calm down, Sasuke," I yawned, stretching. "What time is it?"

"Eight."

He was already dressed and ready to go, but I could see there was a new bruise on his forearm, just under his long-sleeved shirt. I frowned but, as usual, didn't say a word. "I'll give you a ride to school; just give me a sec to get dressed." I got up and messed up his hair as I passed him, encouraging a grunt. I wish he knew what I meant by that when I did it, that I was trying to show him I was there for him. Of course, he couldn't read my mind, so it just irritated him. After I got dressed I grabbed my keys and bag and found Sasuke waiting by the door. "Ready to go?" He nodded and I followed him out, locking the door behind us and getting into the drivers seat. The moment we shut the door, I turned on the radio and pulled out. Sasuke stared out the window, tapping his messenger bag's strap to the beat of the drums. We always had liked the same type of music mainly, any type of rock; it was really the only thing he would admit we shared, besides our last name. He sighed as I stopped for a red light. "Sasuke… you know I'm here-"

"Can it Itachi." He didn't even bother looking at me.

"Sasuke-"

"Just drop it okay?!" He turned and glared at me angrily, and I could see that hatred that was always in his eyes. "You don't have to pretend you care, just leave it alone!"

I wanted to deny that; tell him that I did care, I wasn't just pretending, but I couldn't. I just kept silent, like I always did, turning up the volume. When we got to the school parking lot, Sasuke jumped out and stalked away, brushing shoulders with Kisame and Kankuro as they walked towards me.

"What's his problem?" Kankuro watched Sasuke stalked away for a few seconds before turning back to me, as though I would know how to answer him.

"I'd rather not talk about it…"

Kisame nodded, completely understanding. I had known him forever; he knew about my family. "So… you excited about the party?" Kisame was good at changing the subject; I'd have to thank him later on.

"No."

"Oh come on! You agreed on going!"

"You tricked me into going!"

Kankuro laughed. "How did he get _you_ to go 'Tachi? You hate parties."

I tried to think of a reason, a good excuse, but Kisame opened his mouth before I could. "I told him Hikari was going!"

"The new girl?!" He nearly fell over laughing, and I was tempted to grab his eat-eared hat. "Damn 'Tachi, you have weird taste. She's a twig; completely flat!" Kankuro always had been blunt. In some ways, it carried a type of charm that just attracted people to him; in others, it was irritating as hell. This was one of those times where it was really annoying.

"Will you shut it Kankuro?" I felt happy that I could control how much my emotions showed, because if I couldn't, I would have been bright red. Of course, they both knew me and knew my emotions.

"Awww… he really does like her!" It was always so creepy when they spoke in unison, but it was just irritating when they both taunted me. I glared at them, trying to give them a death glare, but it didn't come out that threatening apparently. "Come on, 'Tachi. Class starts in 15 minutes." They looked at each other; they were starting to freak each other out. I shook my head, but locked the car and shoved my keys into my bag.

When I got to my locker, everything seemed normal… until I heard that familiar squeal. I wasn't really surprised when I saw the familiar figure of Haku, freaking out over… some… female. However, when I walked over and saw why, I was almost tempted to freak out too. "Hikari-chan-! Daijoubu desu ka?" I tried to keep the surprise out of my voice; I didn't want anyone to know how worried I was, but it was difficult. She and Haku turned in surprise as they heard my voice. Hikari had turned to try and hide her arm, which was in a sling, but I had already seen it. "What happened?" I had seen Sasuke like this before, and that scared me.

"It's just from my fall yesterday…"

"See? I told you-"

"She's hurt! Stop yelling at her, Itachi!" Haku slapped my arm to shut me up, but I wasn't happy. Why did I not completely believe her? Then again, it's not like we were that close, so why should she tell me anything? I stared at her as she fidgeted under Haku's continued spaz, and I wanted to ask her. I wanted to ask her if she was like Sasuke, but I restrained myself. I had no right to, and really, would she even admit to it if she was? Finally, the first bell rang and we all went to our separate classrooms, but I had a bad feeling I wouldn't be able to focus.

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Sorry for the second horrible wait, however I was on vacation in Massachusetts for a while, so I wrote a extra-big chapter. I hope you all enjoy and review! 


	5. Not So Hardy of A Party

Ah! Sorry about the delays, guys. Hectic personal stuff makes bad writing, plus I'm also working on a non-fiction novel that I want to publish (but first need to finish). However, I tried to make this chapter as long as possible to get back in your good graces. There is a decent amount more Japanese in here however though, so I added a language Key just under the shoutouts.

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Invader Q: Thank you for you compliments! I'm glad you enjoy it. I know it's slightly out of character for him… however… none of us really know what goes on in that mind of his. XD

Symbiotic: XD Thank you. I can see what you mean though. It would explain his constantly grouchy mood in the AU though.

Xtomboysmurfx: Sorry for the late response, but I'm glad you enjoyed it! I can't believe I spelled peak wrong. Oh well, I'll change it. Thank you! And I hope you enjoy future chapters.

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1. "Daijoubu ka, Hikari-chan?"- "Are you alright, Hikari?"

2. "_Iie!_"- "_No!_"

3. "G… gomen…asai… gomen…asai… Itachi-san…" or "I'm… s… so… s… sorry… Itachi…"

4. "Daijoubu, Hikari-chan… Hikari…"- "It's alright, Hikari" (note: in Japanese culture, not using an honorific, such as –chan, before it is earned is considered extremely insulting because it infers great closeness such as dating or extremely close friends.)

5. "Actually, Okaasan… ano…"- "Actually, Mom… um…"

6. Demo- But

7. "Arigatou gozaimasu"- "Thank you very much."

8. "Douitashimashite"- "You're welcome"

9. Itachi-san- This I'm actually just doing for another note. By using –san, Hikari is showing the customary extreme politeness by using a very proper honorific. So whilest Itachi is now not even using one, and only used –chan before, Hikari still uses –san.

10. "Nani desu ka, Hikari?"- "What's wrong, Hikari?"

11. "Tskaremashta"- "I'm tired"

12. Hai- Yes

13. "Onegai shimasu, Itachi… Itachi-kun."- "Please, Itachi." (Note that she is now trying the more familiar term –kun, the brother honorific of –chan)

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_**音楽**__**-Tayuya-**__**音楽**_

When Tenten had first walked in with the new girl, I admit, I wanted to tear her pretty little head off. Once I saw Itachi occasionally looking at her, though, I had to admit she was pretty cute. Of course, I was quite happy with my lovely Tenten though. Anyway, over the week Tenten had insisted on taking the girl under her wing in a way, give her a friend, you know? Unfortunately though, Tenten had work all week. So, _I_ was forced into hanging out with this quiet little Japanese girl. I was surprised, though, to find how spirited she was, and I ended up making friends with the little brat, so when Friday came around, I was more then happy to show her how to party. Kisame picked the three of us up in his old, blue Toyota T100 at around 6, then driving towards the Uchiha's. Hikari sat in the bed, holding onto the side as Kisame drove in his crazy, way-above-the-speed-limit way, a song by Stutterfly blasting out the speakers. Tenten and Kisame were bickering over the stereo as we stopped outside Itachi's; luckily though, he was waiting and ran over and jumped into the bed with Hikari. I pulled Tenten into a kiss just long enough to let Kisame start driving again before breaking it again, and laughing at Tenten as she yelled at me. We drove for a while until we got to the outskirts of the city, driving up the hidden path to Zetsu's house. It didn't look like 'tachi was speaking to Hikari at all… the coward. I guess it was a good thing she had me and Tenten, or else little Hikari would have been stuck all alone. We pulled up next to Kankuro's piece-of-shit Subaru Outback, the cat-hatted, drama geek immediately jumping out and grabbing Kisame and Itachi, much to Itachi's protests. Of course, Tenten and I weren't much farther behind, bringing along Hikari. The sight inside was how Zetsu's parties normally looked; club-worthy lighting, so packed with people it felt like you were going to suffocate, and every drink in the house spiked with alcohol. Of course, neither of us were going to tell Hikari about that last bit; why on earth should Hikari go to her first party and not get drunk?

We could tell she was uneasy, so Tenten grabbed one arm, I grabbed the other, and we encouraged her to start dancing to the loud techno music. She was still visibly awkward for a while, but, like I knew she would, she eventually started dancing with us. I knew she had spunk; she just needed to be encouraged. We danced for a while, going through a few songs before Tenten got thirsty and we made our way to the kitchen. Tenten immediately grabbed three cups, filling them all to the rim and handing one to me and Hitomi, taking a long swig of her own. Hikari looked nervous… okay… she looked terrified of the drink in her hands… like it was going to kill her or something. However, Tenten and I wouldn't have any of that, each of us grabbing either arm and forcing the cup up to her lips and back. She choked a bit, but, just like we thought, after a moment she was fine. Really, it just isn't a party if you don't drink. After the first forced sip, she didn't really fight anymore, taking drinks from her cup even as we left to go back to the dance floor. I was sure she would be alright, she just needed to get used to the alcohol, and moving was not encouraged while doing so. After all, what was the worst that could happen if she just stood still?

_**陰**__**-Itachi**__**-**__**陰**_

I hated Kankuro and Kisame for dragging me away. The entire reason I had gone was to make sure nothing happened to her! How was I supposed to do that if I didn't even know where she was? Of course, I would never admit to why I was going, so I had no argument against the two idiots. I hung out around the fireplace for a while, watching a couple teenagers from our school throwing up near the back door as Kisame and Kankuro looked around for some girls that would be willing to dance with them. The reason I had come in the first place started to be drowned out by the bass beat of the deafening music, and soon I had completely forgotten… that is, until I saw Hikari staggering out of what I guessed was the kitchen and out the back door. I immediately followed her, wondering about the uneasiness in her step and her faulty balance, and I decided that I would kill Tenten and Tayuya when I saw them; Hikari was drunk. I tried to catch up to her, since she was already quite a bit ahead, but she moved surprisingly quickly for a drunk. However, she was stopped by a guy, I recognized as a senior wrestler, who grabbed her arm about 50 feet from the house. I figured he was just trying to see if she was okay, but I realized that assumption was wrong when he grabbed her from behind and snuck his hand under her shirt, much to her objection. I bolted the remained 50 feet, grabbing the guy by the collar of his t-shirt and yanking him away from her, surprised to see and feel my other fist connect with his jaw as I dropped him away from her. I hadn't really ever punched a guy… ever. Really, all I had to do to keep most people away from myself was glare and they backed down. The fact that I had just punched this, basically, stranger shocked me. I only dwelled on it for a moment before turning to see if Hikari was okay. She had apparently fallen, since she was now sitting on her legs on the ground; her head was tilted down so I couldn't see her face, and her shoulders were shaking. "Daijoubu ka, Hikari-chan?"1 She shook her head, and I wasn't sure whether she had just collapsed from the shock, or from the alcohol consumption. I crouched beside her, checking to see if anyone was looking before doing so, and extended a hand towards her slowly. "Do you need a hand-"

"_Iie!"__2_Before I could even finish my sentence she snapped and slapped my hand away, scrambling a few more inches away from me. I couldn't help but let my surprise show momentarily as I blinked, however, it didn't last long. I felt hurt that she had thought I would do something like that bastard. I knew she was scared… but still! I could feel my lips tighten, almost curling into a snarl but not quite, as my temper rose. I stood, mentally feeling odd as I towered over her.

"Fine. You don't want my help? Then fine. Stay here and get raped by the next guy who comes along, since I'm not staying around where I'm obviously not wanted." The coldness of my words surprised me as they left my lips, and they made me shiver; I sounded like my father. As I had started speaking, I hadn't noticed that she had looked up at me. What killed me more, however, was the fact that I now saw why she was shaking; streams of tears streaked her cheeks, and the look in her eyes was so very familiar. It was the same look in Sasuke's onyx eyes when Dad was debating whether or not to beat him; the alcohol really had softened her defenses completely. "Hikari… I…" New batches of tears were starting to appear, so I gave up waiting until I could force it out and gently pulled her up to her feet and into my arms, holding her tightly and hoping the message would get through.

_I'm sorry._

Whether or not the message got through, I wasn't sure; however, the moment my skin touched hers, she seemed to collapse, abandoning all defenses left once and for all. "G… gomen…asai… gomen…asai… Itachi-san…"3 I felt her face dig into my collar, but I didn't mind. It wasn't like anyone was watching, and even if one of the drunks saw, they wouldn't remember it in the morning. Her shoulders shook from sobbing as I rubbed her back softly, trying to comfort her like I wished I had done for Sasuke for all these years; only, I kind of felt like it was different in a way, although I wasn't sure why.

"Daijoubu, Hikari-chan… Hikari…"4 I hoped I didn't seem like I was being overly familiar; I knew how insulting it was if I hadn't earned it, and the last thing I wanted to do right now was insult her. However, she didn't object, and only pulled closer to me. I really wondered if she could ever be like this sober… or if this was how she was like exclusively when she was drunk. After a few minutes, she passed out, like I knew she would, so I pulled my cell phone out and told Kankuro to bring his keys outside and give them to me, since he wasn't driving home anyway. The cat-eared-hatted drunk came out only a few minutes later and dropped the keys into my hand begrudgingly.

"I better not die a horrible death from K… Kisame's driving…" he hiccupped before sending a glare at Hikari, who I had placed on the ground, and stumbling back into the house. I rolled my eyes and hoped that Kisame hadn't had anything to drink either… he wasn't a complete dunce when it came to that. I had half a mind to call Kisame up and test how sober he was… but decided against it. I gently picked Hikari up and carried her to the car, mentally wondering how much she actually ate… and if any of her weight was actually fat or muscle, or just bones and skin. She easily fit into the passenger seat and I buckled the seatbelt over her (A/N: Always wear your seatbelts kids :D), making sure it was in the correct place before closing the door with a slam (so it _would_ close) and walking around to the drivers seat, getting in and starting up the car. I had been able to see my breath when we were outside, so I turned on the heat and put on my own seatbelt before pulling out and starting the drive back. I didn't bother with the radio, just listening to my own thoughts, only to realize I had no clue where she lived. I decided to just take her home since Dad was away on a business trip until the end of next week, and I knew Mom wouldn't mind letting Hikari stay over; especially when she was like this. It only took about 15 minutes to get to the two-story house I lived in; I had never called it home, because it wasn't. Instead of surprising my mother by walking in with Hikari in my arms, I decided to go in and explain the situation first, leaving her in the front seat still with her seatbelt on.

Despite it being around 2 in the morning, my mother was still up, just sitting in the living room, reading. She always stayed up when I went out, just in case. When she heard the door open, though, she looked up towards it with a smile. "How was the party?" She put the book down so she could talk with me without worrying about losing her page.

"Actually, Okaasan… ano…"5 I never stuttered when I spoke, but I was having trouble getting the words out.

"What is it, Itachi? Are you alright? Is everyone alright?" She stood as she spoke, as though getting ready to jump in the car to go drive to whoever's aide.

"Yes. I'm fine, Okaasan. And so are the others. Demo6… a friend of mine passed out at the party and I don't know where they live."

She nodded knowingly, automatically knowing that my friend was drunk and that something had happened to cause me to be uneasy with leaving them there. "What size is your friend? I'll grab them some pajamas while you get them in."

"Ano…" For the first time in my life, I was stumped. One thing that always confused me was clothing sizes. It always amazed me that my mother could look at a person and instantly know their size. She called it a gift, I called it a miracle. "Maybe you should come out and look yourself… I'm not sure." Luckily, she understood what I meant and followed me out to Kankuro's car. However, when I opened the door, she was visibly surprised. I thanked whatever god there was that she didn't mention it as she scurried back inside. By the time I got Hikari inside, my mother already had a pair of pajamas ready for her, waiting in the living room. Hikari was drifting in and out of consciousness at this point, still highly drunk, but at least would be able to change herself. She bowed in appreciation, almost falling over from losing her balance, but definitely hitting a good note with my mother.

"Arigatou gozaimasu."7

"Douitashimashite."8 My mother responded so easily in Japanese, it almost took me by surprise. It had been so long since I had heard the familiar words in her comforting voice. We both stepped out of the room to let Hikari change, and waiting on the stairs. "So, this girl is just a friend?"

"Yes. Just a friend, Okaasan," I replied, almost unable to keep the disappointment out of my voice.

"You want more." It wasn't a question more as it was a statement. I nodded in response. "She's a cute girl, very polite. Japanese, too; your father will like that." I nodded a bit stiffly at the mention of my father, and she rubbed my back in understanding. When the living room shoji door was pushed back, however, I had to bolt forward to prevent Hikari's face meeting my floor a little too intimately, catching her so it instead met my chest. Her eyes were half-lidded and her breathing was slow, a little too slow for my comfort, although it was completely normal.

"Itachi-san…"8

"Nani desu ka, Hikari…?"9 I ignored my mother's glance, waiting for her response.

"Tskaremashta…"10 I was almost tempted to laugh at the simplicity of the sentence, but didn't for her sake, just nodding.

"Hai12. Of course, Hikari. Come on, you can sleep in my bed. I'll sleep on an extra futon I have in my closet…" I looked at my mother briefly for any objections, but after only seeing her resisting a smile, led Hikari up the stairs and down to my bedroom, closing the door behind us like I always did. I then led her over to my bed, pulling back the covers before she climbed in. However, before I could pull the covers back over her and go to my closet, she caught a hold of my shirt.

"Onegai shimasu, Itachi… Itachi-kun."13 I looked at her in surprise, not expecting her to do this after what had happened at Zetsu's, nor at any other time, but her grip didn't falter. I just couldn't bring myself to refuse her. She looked like a small child in my mother's old pajamas, and yet… she looked so beautiful. Her soft eyes looked up at me, begging me until I conceded, sitting on the bed next to her as she wrapped her arms around my waist and nuzzled up against me like a child sleeping with their favorite aunt or uncle. Although she passed out within moments, I couldn't remove myself from her grip, and I really didn't know if I even wanted to.

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Remember now, three things that are good for your health:

1. A healthy diet

2. Exercise

3. Reviewing

XD Well… it's good for my health anyway. Just beware the lists because lists are always true! 


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